Method and apparatus for quenching coke



March 12, 1968 H. s. WILSON 3,373,986

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING COKE Filed Nov. 19. 1963 s sheets-sheet 1 Eins-.1-

HUGO S. W/L SON @YM/@MV Attorney March 12, 1968 H. s. wfLsoN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING COKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19, 19635 /V VE/V TUR. HUGO S. WILSON A Harney March 12, 196sV H. s, WILSON 3,373,086

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING COKE Filed Nov. 19, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet .3

TTS: 5-

United States Patent 3,373,086 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING CKE Hugo S. Wilson, Gary, Ind., assigner to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 324,778 9 Claims. (Cl. 201-39) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Coke-quenching method and apparatus in which coke is pushed from ovens into a car, transported to a quenching apparatus and dumped therein. Water is sprayed on the coke within the apparatus, after which the quenched coke is conveyed away for further processing. Expedites return of cars and prolongs their life by avoiding quenching while coke remains in cars.

This invention relates to improved methods and apparatus for wet-quenching coke.

In the operation of by-product coke ovens, conventional practice is to push hot coke from each oven in turn into an open-topped quenching car, which runs along a track at the coke side of a battery of ovens. A locomotive next moves the car to a quenching station where water sprays are applied to both the incandescent coke and the car. Thereafter the quenched coke is dumped from the car onto a wharf, where it dries and cools to a suitable handling temperature. Finally a conveyor carries the coke away from the wharf for further processing. One disadvantage of this practice is that the coke is not quenched uniformly. The car floor slopes downwardly from the side nearer the ovens. Coke in the shallow side of the car tends to be overquenched, while that in the deep side may remain unquenched. Another disadvantage is that there is too much delay before the car is available to receive coke from another oven. The schedule may call for ovens to be pushed at six minute intervals. The spray is applied for about two minutes, and excess water drained for another minute. Hence it is diflicult to move the car to the quenching station, quench, drain and dump the coke, and move the car back to the next oven within the allotted time. A further disadvantage is that the quenching car has a relatively short life, since it is subject to extreme temperature changes and also to corrosive agents in the contaminated water commonly used for quenching.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved coke-quenching methods and apparatus which overcome the foregoing disadvantages, that is, in which coke is quenched uniformly without delaying the quenching car as long nor subjecting it to as much wear.

A further object is to provide a quenching method and apparatus in which incandescent coke is dumped from the car into a separate quenching chamber where water sprays are applied, and the coke is carried from this chamber for further processing.

A more specific object is to provide an improved quenching apparatus which includes a chamber for receiving hot coke from a quenching car, nozzles within the chamber for applying water sprays uniformly to the coke apart from the car, and means for discharging quenched coke from the chamber and conveying it away from the apparatus for further processing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan layout of a pair of coke oven batteries and a quenching apparatus constructed in accordance with one embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is an oblique sectional View on line II--II of FIGURE 1;

Patented Mar. 12, 1968 ICC FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but showing a modification;

FIGURE 4 is another similar View showing another modification;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic plan layout similar to FIGURE 1 showing still another modification; and

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section on line VI-VI of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 1 shows portions of two batteries of conventional coke ovens 10 and 16a, a pusher 12 which runs along a track 13 at the pusher side of the ovens and a locomotive 14 and quenching car 15 which run along a track 16 at the coke side. When a charge of hot coke is to be pushed from an oven, door handling mechanisms (not shown) remove the doors from both sides of the oven, and the pusher 12 and car 15 are aligned with opposite sides thereof. The pusher pushes the charge through a guide (not shown) into the car. As the pushing operation progresses, the locomotive 14 moves the car slowly so that it fills uniformly along its length. Thereafter the doors are replaced and the oven re-charged. As best shown in FIGURE 2, the car has a door 17 which slopes downwardly from the side nearer the ovens. The car also has a side wall 18, the bottom half of which is hinged on a horizontal axis, whereby it can swing upwardly to discharge coke from the side remote from the ovens. 'Ihe foregoing parts can be of conventional construction; hence no more detailed showing is deemed necessary.

Iri accordance with my invention, I locate a stationary quenching apparatus 19 alongside track 16 on the side remote from the ovens 10 and 16a, preferably opposite the space between the two batteries to enable the apparatus to serve both batteries conveniently. In the form shown in FIGURE 2, the apparatus comprises walls which define a chamber 20 extending below the track level, a tower 21 extending upwardly from the chamber and a control room 22 alongside the chamber and tower. The wall adjacent the track has an elongated entry opening 23. At the lower end of this opening I mount an apron 24 which slopes downwardly toward the chamber. I mount a series of downwardly directed water spray noz.- zles 25 in the wall leading from the control room 22 into the chamber. A perforated platform 26 is pivotally mounted in the lower portion of the chamber on a horizontal shaft 27. A gate 28 is pivotally mounted at its upper edge on a horizontal shaft 29 at the side of the chamber opposite opening 23. Drive mechanisms (not shown) for shafts 27 and 29 are located in the control room 22. A drain trough 30 is located beneath platform 26, and a pit 31 beneath the control room. The pit contains a bin 32, a conveyor 33 which has a conventional drive (not shown) and runs lengthwise of the pit beneath the bin, and Vibrating feeders 34 for transferring material from the bin to the conveyor. Platform 26 has an extension 35 which overlies the edge of bin 32. Preferably I also mount downwardly directed water spray nozzles 36 extending from the outside wall of tower 21 over track 16.

According to my quenching method, as soon as a pushing operation is completed, locomotive 14 moves the quenching car 15 and incandescent coke therein to. a position alongside the quenching apparatus 19. I raise the bottom half of side wall 18 of the car and thus dump the hot coke apron 24 through opening 23 into chamber 20. At this stage the platform 26 and gate 28 are closed, as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 2. I apply water sprays to the coke in the chamber through nozzles 25 for approximately two minutes or until the coke is properly quenched. Steam escapes through tower 21, while excess water drains through the perforations in platform 26 into trough 3G. Thereafter I turn shafts 27 and 29 to tilt platform 26 and raise gate 28, where'- 3 upon the quenched coke discharges into bin 3 2. Subsequently the feeders 34 transfer the coke to the conveyor 33 which carries it away for further processing. After dumping coke from car 15, I can apply water sprays to the car through nozzles 36 to cool the car.

FIGURE 3 shows a modification of the apparatus in which the wall of chamber Z has an elongated discharge opening 40 on the side opposite its entry opening 23, and in which I dispense with gate 28. I mount a sloping platform 41 and a horizontal partition 42 in pit 31. I pivot a gate 43 on a horizontal shaft 44 at the free edge of partition 42. In its lowered position the gate abuts the free edge of platform 41. Drive mechanisms (not shown) for shafts 44 and 27 are located in the control room 22. In other respects the modified apparatus is similar to that already described. The quenching method using this apparatus also is similar, except that I simply raise gate 43 to transfer quenched coke to conveyor 33.

FIGURE 4 shows another modification of the apparatus in which a chain grate conveyor t) repaces platform 26. The side wall of chamber 26 has a discharge opening 51 near one end. I mount a transverse conveyor belt 52 in the chamber below conveyor 50 at the discharge end of the latter, and extending through opening 51 into pit 31. A downwardly sloping deflector plate S3 extends from the lower edge of opening 51 over the side of conveyor 33. Both conveyors 50 and 52 have conventional drives (not shown). In other respects this modified apparatus again is similar to those already described. The method using this apparatus likewise is similar, except that after the coke is quenched, conveyors 50 and 52 are operated to transfer the coke to conveyor 33. Conveyor 50 of course is stopped while the actual quenching takes place.

'FIGURES 5 and 6 show still another modification of the apparatus in which the coke enters and leaves the quenching apparatus 19a from the ends instead of the sides. The apparatus includes walls which define a chamber 56, a tower 57 extending above the chamber, and pits 58 and 59 at the entry and discharge ends of the chamber. The end walls of the chamber have entry and discharge openings 60 and 61 leading to the respective pits. A chain grate conveyor 62, which has a conventional drive (not shown), extends the length of the chamber and projects into pit 58 approximately one car length. An apron 63 slopes downwardly from the edge of pit 58 on the side nearer track 16 over the edge of conveyor 62. The discharge end of conveyor 62 lies within opening 61. Another apron 64 slopes downwardly from the wall at the bottom of the discharge opening and over the edge of a conveyor 33a, within pit 59. In the quenching method using this apparatus, I dump hot coke from car onto apron 63 and thence onto the portion of conveyor 62 which projects into pit 58. I then run the conveyor to carry the Vcoke within chamber 56, stop the conveyor, and apply Y invention affords methods and apparatus for quenching coke in which the diiiculties yencountered in conventional practice largely are overcome. The quenching car can return to the ovens for another load of hot coke as soon as the contents are dumped, although preferably sprays are applied briefly to the car to cool it. There is a substantial time saving when the actual quenching is performed in another apparatus, as well as more uniform quenching and less wear on the car.

While I have shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it is apparent that other modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to d be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In the operation of a battery of coke ovens in which hot coke is pushed from each oven in turn into a car, a method of quenching the coke comprising moving the car which contains hot coke from an oven to a stationary quenching apparatus, dumping the coke while still hot into said apparatus, applying water sprays to the hot coke in said apparatus apart from the car, transferring the quenched coke from said apparatus for further processing, separately applying water sprays to the car to cool it, andreturning the car to the ovens to receive more coke while the coke is being quenched in said apparatus.

2. In a coke oven installation which includes a battery of ovens having pusher and coke sides, a track extending along the coke side of the battery, and a car running along said track for receiving hot coke pushed from said ovens, the combination therewith of a quench-1 ing apparatus comprising means alongside said track for receiving hot coke dumped from said car, said receiving means being of relatively short length compared with the length of the battery of ovens, means for applying water sprays to the coke in said receiving means and thereby quenching the coke, means for conveying quenched coke from said receiving means away from the apparatus, and

means for transferring the quenched coke from said receiving means to said conveying means.

3. In a coke oven installation which includes a battery of ovens having pusher and coke sides, a track extending along the coke side of the battery, and an open-topped car running along said track for receiving hot coke pushed from said ovens, said car having a bottom which slopes downwardly away from said ovens, and a wall on the side remote from said ovens, a section of which wall is hinged, the combination therewith of a quenching apparatus comprising a chamber located alongside said track and adapted to receive hot coke dumped from said car when said hinged section is opened, said chamber being of relatively short length compared with the length of the battery of ovens, means in said chamber for applying water sprays to the coke therein and thereby quenching the coke, a conveyor for carrying quenched coke from said chamber away from the apparatus, and means for transferring the quenched coke from said chamber to said conveyor.

4. In a coke oven installation which includes a battery of ovens having pusher and coke sides, a track extending along the coke side 0f the battery, and an open-topped car running along said track for receiving hot coke pushed from said ovens, said car having a bottom which slopes downwardly away from said ovens, and a wall on the side remote from said ovens, a section of which wall is hinged, the combination therewith of a quenching apparatus comprising walls which define a chamber of relatively short length compared with the length of the battery, a tower extending upwardly from said chamber, and a pit communicating with said chamber, said chamber being located alongside said track and having an opening in one of its walls through which a mass of hot coke can be introduced from said car, support means in said chamber Vfor receiving the coke, means within said chamber for applying water sprays to coke on said support means, means in said chamber beneath said support means for draining excess water from the coke, a conveyor in said pit, and means for transferring quenched coke from said support means to said conveyor to enable the conveyor to carry the coke away from the apparatus.

5. A combination as defined in claim 4 in which said opening is in the side wall of said chamber, and said support means is a perforate platform hinged on a horizontal axis to the wall between said chamber and said pit.

6. A combination as dened in claim 4 in which said support is a chain grate conveyor housed at least partially within said chamber and running the length thereof.

7. A combination as defined in claim 4 including means outside said chamber for applying Water sprays to said car to cool the car after hot coke has been taken therefrom.

8. In the operation of a pair of spaced-apart coke oven batteries in which hot coke is pushed from each oven in turn into a car which travels along the coke side of both batteries, a method of quenching the coke comprising moving the car which contains hot coke from an oven to a position opposite the space between batteries, dumping the hot coke from the car into a stationary quenching apparatus located opposite said space and serving both batteries, applying Water sprays to the hot coke in said apparatus, transferring the quenched coke from said apparatus, and returning the car to another oven to receive more coke While quenching is taking place in said apparatus.

9. In a coke oven installation which includes two spaced-apart batteries of ovens having pusher and coke sides, a track extending along the coke side of both batteries, and an open-topped car running along said track for receiving hot coke pushed from said ovens, the combination therewith of a quenching apparatus com prising a chamber located alongside said track opposite the space between said batteries to serve both batteries and being of relatively short length compared with the length of each battery, said chamber being adapted to receive hot coke dumped from said car, means in said chamber for applying water sprays to the coke therein and thereby quenching the coke, a conveyor for carrying quenched coke from said chamber away from the apparatus, and means for transferring the quenched coke from said chamber to said conveyor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 815,453 3/1906 Merrill 201-39 X 1,595,594 8/ 1926 Becker 202-227 MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner.

R. E. SERWIN, Assistant Examiner. 

